The Tigers (7-2, 4-0 DuPage Valley Conference) open pool play against Benet on Thursday and then play Glenbard West and Providence to conclude a busy three-day stretch.

"Three games in three days is tough, but we'll have had a week off by the time we play our first game," Wheaton South coach Rob Kroehnke said. "We want to win all three games."

The No. 17 Tigers are coming off an impressive week, beating then-No. 18 Naperville Central 64-59 in overtime on the road. Wheaton South junior guard Maggie Dansdill had two straight steals in an 11-0 third-quarter run to spark the Tigers. Dansdill finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six steals, and her teammates showered her with a postgame birthday celebration.

But Dansdill suffered a season-ending knee injury later in the week that leaves a big hole in Wheaton South's rotation.

"She tore her knee coming down from a layup," Kroehnke said. "It's going to be hard without her. It's been a difficult couple of days. We're going to have a couple of different girls step up their game."

Junior point guard Meghan Waldron, who had 22 points and 22 rebounds against Naperville Central, is the obvious choice to help pick up the scoring slack. Waldron played more of a complementary role on last season's team. The Tigers haven't lost since falling to Montini on Nov. 17. Waldron attempted just one shot in the fourth quarter against the Broncos.

"Meghan understands that she needs to take charge more in games now," Kroehnke said. "She deferred more last year. We need her to step up and make the defense react to her. That will open up her teammates.

"We have to get over the loss of Maggie. In the long run, some kids have to step up. Our goals still haven't changed. This is a group that wants to take that next step. That's the challenge right now."